Ignore Wear Red Day, Go See Your Doctor

I hate Wear Red for Women Day. There. I said it. Call me an insult to womankind. But I'll say it again a little differently. I. Hate. Go Red for Women.

Because today, while you're buying your pretty red necklaces and pretending to traipse through Oz with your sexy red shoes to fight the good fight, you should be making an appointment with your doctor to talk about the realities of heart disease in women, and what it means for you. But you won't be, will you?

Because today is about awareness! It's fun! It's sexy! And with the three-year anniversary of the day I lost one of the dearest women in my life to an embolism staring me in the face, I wish you'd save yourself the time you'd spend pawing through your closet looking for that red sweater and look at the numbers from the American Heart Association:

1: Where heart disease ranks on the list of killers of women 20 and older.

1: The maximum number of drinks you should have per day to protect your heart.

4: The causes of death in women (including cancer) that would have to be added up to equal the number of women who die from heart disease.

22: The percentage of women ages 40 to 69 who survive a first heart attack who will have another heart attack or fatal coronary heart disease within five years.

22: The percentage of women ages 40 to 69 who survive a first stroke who will have another within five years.

35: The inches your waist should be down to for maximum heart health.

40: The percentage of Go Red for Women funds that go to public education -- encouraging women to take better care of themselves.

60: The percentage of total stroke deaths that occur in women.

90: The percentage of women who have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.

150: The minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity you need to be getting per week for your heart.

55,000: How many more women than men suffer strokes annually.

Scared? Good. Now skip the trip to the clothing store today. Just call your doctor. Please!